Detailed information about the 100 most recent patent applications.
| Application Number | Title | Filing Date | Disposal Date | Disposition | Time (months) | Office Actions | Restrictions | Interview | Appeal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17126317 | MULTI-STAGE TARGET CELL ENRICHMENT USING A MICROFLUIDIC DEVICE | December 2020 | May 2023 | Abandon | 28 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 16982016 | FLUID DEVICE | September 2020 | September 2024 | Abandon | 48 | 3 | 0 | No | No |
| 17015293 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR HIGH-THROUGHPUT SCREENING FOR TESTING PERMEABILITY AND RETENTION OF COMPOUNDS ACROSS BIOLOGICAL BARRIERS | September 2020 | March 2024 | Allow | 42 | 2 | 1 | No | No |
| 16994163 | Systems and Methods for Automated Analysis | August 2020 | February 2024 | Allow | 42 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 16967153 | DEVICE FOR THE AMBIENT-TEMPERATURE STORAGE OF BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL | August 2020 | July 2024 | Abandon | 47 | 3 | 1 | No | No |
| 16939509 | INTERFACE MODULE FOR ROBOTIC LOADING AND UNLOADING OF A SAMPLE MANAGER FOR LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY | July 2020 | February 2024 | Allow | 43 | 3 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 16889676 | Apparatus and method for collecting multi-tiered particles from a biological sample | June 2020 | April 2022 | Abandon | 23 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 16768136 | THIN-LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ASSESSING ANALYTE CONCENTRATIONS IN SAMPLES | May 2020 | November 2024 | Allow | 53 | 4 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 16851555 | DETECTION METHOD FOR CONGENERS OF SHORT-CHAIN CHLORINATED PARAFFINS | April 2020 | September 2024 | Abandon | 53 | 4 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 16725183 | Peristaltic Pump Microfluidic Separator | December 2019 | June 2022 | Allow | 30 | 0 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 16660546 | REAGENT COMPONENT DISPENSING CAPS FOR REAGENT CONTAINERS USED IN AUTOMATED CLINICAL ANALYZERS | October 2019 | January 2024 | Allow | 50 | 3 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 16559641 | MICROFLUIDIC CHIP FOR SORTING SPERM AND SPERM SORTING METHOD | September 2019 | December 2022 | Abandon | 39 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 16487545 | Automatic Analyzer | August 2019 | July 2024 | Abandon | 59 | 6 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 16524851 | METHOD TO CONTROL A PROCESS VARIABLE | July 2019 | February 2025 | Allow | 60 | 3 | 0 | No | No |
| 16457602 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SAMPLE PREPARATION | June 2019 | September 2021 | Allow | 27 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 16425796 | Microfluidic guillotine for splitting cellular structures | May 2019 | May 2023 | Abandon | 47 | 0 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 16389382 | BIOSENSOR | April 2019 | August 2021 | Abandon | 28 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 16342890 | ELECTRONIC DRIVING CIRCUIT FOR DRIVING ELECTRODES OF A MICROFLUIDIC DEVICE FOR MANIPULATION OF PARTICLES, AND CORRESPONDING ANALYSIS APPARATUS | April 2019 | May 2022 | Allow | 37 | 1 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 16377395 | Incubation System and Method for Automated Cell Culture and Testing | April 2019 | January 2024 | Allow | 58 | 3 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 16284845 | PROCESSING DEVICE FOR PROCESSING A HIGHLY VISCOUS SAMPLE | February 2019 | March 2022 | Abandon | 36 | 0 | 1 | No | No |
| 16311557 | Assay Device and Method for Assessing Blood Cells | December 2018 | October 2021 | Abandon | 34 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 16141896 | SCANNING APPARATUS AND METHODS USEFUL FOR DETECTION OF CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ANALYTES | September 2018 | October 2019 | Allow | 13 | 2 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 16110481 | Solid-Core Magnet | August 2018 | March 2022 | Abandon | 43 | 2 | 1 | No | No |
| 16072590 | ANALYSIS PLATE, ANALYSIS METHOD, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING ANALYSIS PLATE | July 2018 | March 2022 | Abandon | 44 | 3 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 16033437 | NANO-SENSOR ARRAY | July 2018 | September 2022 | Abandon | 51 | 2 | 1 | No | Yes |
| 15991677 | METHODS FOR EVALUATION OF HEMOSTASIS | May 2018 | October 2018 | Allow | 5 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 15757642 | Devices and Methods for Mesofluidic and/or Microfluidic Processes | March 2018 | November 2022 | Abandon | 57 | 3 | 1 | No | No |
| 15564447 | PROCESS CHALLENGE DEVICE FOR AUTOMATED ENDOSCOPE REPROCESSOR | October 2017 | August 2023 | Abandon | 60 | 6 | 0 | Yes | Yes |
| 15699567 | CELL SELECTING APPARATUS AND CELL SELECTING SYSTEM | September 2017 | February 2019 | Abandon | 17 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 15656336 | SAMPLE EXTRACTING, DILUTING AND DISCHARGING DEVICE | July 2017 | December 2018 | Abandon | 17 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 15613562 | Mechanical Separator for a Biological Fluid | June 2017 | December 2018 | Abandon | 19 | 3 | 0 | No | No |
| 15486236 | SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC SYSTEM FOR MEASURING WATER QUALITY | April 2017 | May 2018 | Allow | 14 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 15481698 | MULTI-LIQUID QUALITY CALIBRATION SINGLE-USE CARTRIDGE | April 2017 | January 2022 | Abandon | 58 | 4 | 1 | No | No |
| 15513078 | CONTAINER ASSEMBLY AND CONTAINER ASSEMBLY KIT | March 2017 | June 2018 | Abandon | 15 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 15463771 | SPECIMEN CONTAINER FOR BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS | March 2017 | September 2018 | Abandon | 18 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 15454819 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATED PREPARATION OF CYTOLOGICAL SPECIMENS | March 2017 | April 2018 | Abandon | 13 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 15308330 | FLEXIBLE OPTICAL BIOSENSOR FOR POINT OF USE MULTI-PATHOGEN DETECTION | November 2016 | September 2022 | Allow | 60 | 3 | 1 | Yes | Yes |
| 15290973 | INDUSTRIAL DESIGN OF STAND-ALONE ASSAY SYSTEM | October 2016 | December 2021 | Abandon | 60 | 3 | 1 | No | Yes |
| 15302794 | SPECTROSCOPIC SENSOR AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME | October 2016 | December 2021 | Abandon | 60 | 8 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 15182506 | Method and Apparatus for Producing Platelet Rich Plasma | June 2016 | December 2018 | Abandon | 31 | 0 | 1 | No | No |
| 15150676 | WASH MONITOR AND METHOD OF USE | May 2016 | August 2018 | Abandon | 27 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 15098800 | TEMPERATURE CONTROLLING SURFACES AND SUPPORT STRUCTURES | April 2016 | May 2020 | Allow | 49 | 4 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 14972404 | ADAPTER FOR BLOOD SAMPLE DISPENSING, AND DISPENSING KIT AND NEEDLE KIT PROVIDED THEREWITH | December 2015 | August 2018 | Abandon | 32 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 14971947 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR SAMPLE HANDLING AND PROCESSING | December 2015 | August 2018 | Abandon | 32 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 14953703 | GAS CHROMATOGRAPH INTERMEDIATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND GAS CHROMATOGRAPH | November 2015 | June 2018 | Allow | 31 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 14949385 | PROCESS FOR ULTRA-SENSITIVE QUANTIFICATION OF TARGET ANALYTES IN COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS | November 2015 | November 2022 | Allow | 60 | 8 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 14779446 | Peristaltic Pump Microfluidic Separator | September 2015 | September 2019 | Allow | 48 | 2 | 1 | Yes | Yes |
| 14729760 | SAMPLE COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS DEVICES | June 2015 | May 2018 | Allow | 36 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 14629584 | Mechanical Separator for a Biological Fluid | February 2015 | July 2018 | Abandon | 41 | 4 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 14607769 | Beverage Preparation Machines and Methods For Operating Beverage Preparation Machines | January 2015 | January 2017 | Allow | 24 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 14599659 | METHOD FOR LASER MICRODISSECTION | January 2015 | December 2019 | Allow | 59 | 3 | 1 | No | Yes |
| 14550657 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CONTROL OF GENERAL PURPOSE MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES | November 2014 | October 2019 | Allow | 59 | 4 | 1 | No | No |
| 14524666 | DEVICE AND SYSTEM FOR SAMPLING AND ANALYZING A LIQUID SPECIMEN | October 2014 | July 2018 | Abandon | 45 | 4 | 0 | No | No |
| 14371339 | SENSOR CARTRIDGE FOR DETECTING COMPONENT OF AT LEAST ONE SAMPLE | July 2014 | August 2016 | Allow | 25 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 14308489 | VALIDATION TECHNIQUES FOR FLUID DELIVERY SYSTEMS | June 2014 | August 2015 | Allow | 14 | 2 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 14298995 | SYSTEM FOR TREATING NOx-CONTAINING GAS STREAMS | June 2014 | May 2017 | Abandon | 35 | 4 | 0 | No | No |
| 14295619 | SYSTEMS FOR RECOVERING NITRIC ACID FROM PICKLING SOLUTIONS | June 2014 | May 2017 | Abandon | 35 | 4 | 0 | No | No |
| 14247796 | PYROLYSIS AND GASIFICATION SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND RESULTANTS DERIVED THEREFROM | April 2014 | January 2017 | Allow | 34 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 14347541 | IN SITU SENSING OF COMPOUNDS | March 2014 | August 2018 | Abandon | 52 | 4 | 1 | No | No |
| 14197451 | INTEGRATED ACTIVE FLUX MICROFLUIDIC DEVICES AND METHODS | March 2014 | May 2016 | Abandon | 26 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 14194730 | MOVING PYROLYZING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR APPLYING THE APPARATUS | March 2014 | March 2017 | Abandon | 36 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 14187979 | LIQUID MIXTURE USED TO TEST AND VALIDATE TEST DEVICES | February 2014 | April 2015 | Abandon | 14 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 14130693 | SYSTEM AND PROCESS FOR CONVERSION OF ORGANIC MATTER INTO TORREFIED PRODUCT | February 2014 | December 2016 | Abandon | 35 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 14125257 | SYSTEM AND PROCESS FOR PREPARING ACTIVE CARBON FROM COAL FLYASH | February 2014 | April 2017 | Abandon | 40 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 14161447 | PHOTORESPONSIVE GAS-GENERATING MATERIAL, MICROPUMP AND MICROFLUID DEVICE | January 2014 | February 2016 | Abandon | 24 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 14139490 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FOCUSING PARTICLES | December 2013 | May 2016 | Allow | 29 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 14128518 | APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR CONTINUOUS CARBONISATION OF WOOD CHIPS OR WASTES AND OTHER CHARRING ORGANIC MATERIALS | December 2013 | November 2016 | Allow | 34 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 13877720 | Microfluidic Platform | November 2013 | September 2016 | Abandon | 42 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 14033435 | SYSTEM AND METHOD USING A HORIZONTAL SUBLIMATION CHAMBER FOR PRODUCTION OF FUEL FROM A CARBON-CONTAINING FEEDSTOCK | September 2013 | October 2016 | Allow | 37 | 1 | 1 | No | No |
| 13989623 | SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING A GAS SOURCE TO A THERMAL OXIDISER | September 2013 | January 2017 | Abandon | 44 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 14022303 | PROCESS AND DEVICE FOR DEVOLATIZING FEEDSTOCK | September 2013 | November 2016 | Allow | 38 | 1 | 1 | No | No |
| 13879215 | Method for Treating Solid Waste Based on a Gradient Composed of Two Distinct Thermal Sources | September 2013 | December 2016 | Allow | 44 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 14014864 | SYSTEMS, DEVICES AND METHODS FOR MULTIPLEXED DIAGNOSTICS | August 2013 | June 2016 | Allow | 34 | 2 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 13978938 | SURFACE-TENSION BASED FLOW GUIDANCE IN A MICROSTRUCTURE ENVIRONMENT | July 2013 | March 2016 | Abandon | 32 | 2 | 0 | No | No |
| 13936188 | Rotating Fluidized Bed Catalytic Pyrolysis Reactor | July 2013 | February 2017 | Abandon | 43 | 2 | 1 | No | No |
| 13919959 | REAGENT DELIVERY SYSTEM, DISPENSING DEVICE AND CONTAINER FOR A BIOLOGICAL STAINING APPARATUS | June 2013 | May 2015 | Allow | 23 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| 13989241 | SAMPLE CONTAINER FOR STORING AND PROCESSING SAMPLES TAKEN WITH A SAMPLING TOOL | May 2013 | July 2018 | Abandon | 60 | 6 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 13836927 | PYROLYSIS APPARATUS AND METHOD | March 2013 | April 2017 | Abandon | 49 | 3 | 0 | No | No |
| 13790781 | Hybrid Thermal Oxidizer Systems and Methods | March 2013 | August 2017 | Abandon | 53 | 2 | 1 | No | Yes |
| 13784173 | CO2 RECOVERY SYSTEM AND CO2 RECOVERY METHOD | March 2013 | August 2016 | Allow | 42 | 2 | 1 | No | No |
| 13781292 | METHODS, SYSTEMS AND DEVICES FOR MULTIPLE SINGLE-CELL CAPTURING AND PROCESSING USING MICROFLUIDICS | February 2013 | November 2015 | Allow | 33 | 2 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 13781307 | METHODS, SYSTEMS AND DEVICES FOR MULTIPLE SINGLE-CELL CAPTURING AND PROCESSING USING MICROFLUIDICS | February 2013 | January 2016 | Allow | 34 | 3 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 13764763 | GASIFICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HIGH ASH CONTENT FEEDSTOCK | February 2013 | January 2017 | Abandon | 47 | 4 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 13809161 | AUTOMATIC ANALYZER | January 2013 | January 2015 | Allow | 24 | 1 | 0 | Yes | No |
| 13713678 | CELL CAPTURING FILTER HAVING HIGH ASPECT RATIO | December 2012 | November 2014 | Allow | 23 | 3 | 1 | No | No |
| 13712328 | Liquid Dietary Supplement Formulation Compositions | December 2012 | June 2018 | Allow | 60 | 2 | 0 | Yes | Yes |
| 13554655 | MANIPULATING DROPLET SIZE | July 2012 | November 2013 | Allow | 16 | 0 | 0 | No | No |
| 13499421 | TESTING SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING HYPOXIA INDUCED CELLULAR DAMAGE | April 2012 | November 2016 | Abandon | 56 | 2 | 1 | No | Yes |
| 13442013 | FLOW CELLS AND MANIFOLDS HAVING AN ELECTROOSMOTIC PUMP | April 2012 | December 2015 | Allow | 45 | 2 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 13390154 | ASSAY DEVICE | March 2012 | November 2018 | Allow | 60 | 8 | 1 | No | Yes |
| 13406450 | MICROFLUIDIC SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAME | February 2012 | June 2016 | Abandon | 52 | 4 | 1 | Yes | No |
| 13331552 | Generating a Fluid Stream in a Microfluidic Device | December 2011 | November 2018 | Allow | 60 | 6 | 0 | No | Yes |
| 13294256 | HEATED MAT AND EXHAUST GAS TREATMENT DEVICE | November 2011 | November 2017 | Allow | 60 | 3 | 0 | No | Yes |
| 13287012 | VITAMIN D METABOLITE DETERMINATION UTILIZING MASS SPECTROMETRY FOLLOWING DERIVATIZATION | November 2011 | January 2013 | Allow | 15 | 3 | 0 | No | No |
| 13239779 | Tagging Of Small Containers For Biological And Chemical Samples With Light-Activated Microtransponders | September 2011 | April 2018 | Abandon | 60 | 4 | 1 | No | Yes |
| 13139584 | PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF AN EDIBLE FAT CONTINUOUS SPREAD | September 2011 | December 2016 | Abandon | 60 | 4 | 0 | Yes | Yes |
| 13139580 | PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF AN EDIBLE FAT CONTINUOUS FOOD PRODUCT | September 2011 | January 2017 | Abandon | 60 | 4 | 0 | No | Yes |
| 13143991 | SAMPLE HOLDER FOR USE IN BIOLOGICAL TESTING | July 2011 | May 2015 | Abandon | 46 | 3 | 0 | No | No |
| 13174124 | METHOD FOR NON-INVASIVE DETERMINATION OF CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS | June 2011 | February 2016 | Allow | 56 | 1 | 1 | No | No |
| 13111722 | Testing Method and Kit for Detecting Lead, Mercury, and Chromate in Paint , Varnish, and Other surface Coatings | May 2011 | April 2015 | Abandon | 47 | 3 | 1 | No | No |
This analysis examines appeal outcomes and the strategic value of filing appeals for examiner WARDEN, JILL ALICE.
With a 18.8% reversal rate, the PTAB affirms the examiner's rejections in the vast majority of cases. This reversal rate is below the USPTO average, indicating that appeals face more challenges here than typical.
Filing a Notice of Appeal can sometimes lead to allowance even before the appeal is fully briefed or decided by the PTAB. This occurs when the examiner or their supervisor reconsiders the rejection during the mandatory appeal conference (MPEP § 1207.01) after the appeal is filed.
In this dataset, 22.6% of applications that filed an appeal were subsequently allowed. This appeal filing benefit rate is below the USPTO average, suggesting that filing an appeal has limited effectiveness in prompting favorable reconsideration.
⚠ Appeals to PTAB face challenges. Ensure your case has strong merit before committing to full Board review.
⚠ Filing a Notice of Appeal shows limited benefit. Consider other strategies like interviews or amendments before appealing.
Examiner WARDEN, JILL ALICE works in Art Unit 1798 and has examined 118 patent applications in our dataset. With an allowance rate of 41.5%, this examiner allows applications at a lower rate than most examiners at the USPTO. Applications typically reach final disposition in approximately 44 months.
Examiner WARDEN, JILL ALICE's allowance rate of 41.5% places them in the 9% percentile among all USPTO examiners. This examiner is less likely to allow applications than most examiners at the USPTO.
On average, applications examined by WARDEN, JILL ALICE receive 2.75 office actions before reaching final disposition. This places the examiner in the 77% percentile for office actions issued. This examiner issues more office actions than most examiners, which may indicate thorough examination or difficulty in reaching agreement with applicants.
The median time to disposition (half-life) for applications examined by WARDEN, JILL ALICE is 44 months. This places the examiner in the 15% percentile for prosecution speed. Applications take longer to reach final disposition with this examiner compared to most others.
Conducting an examiner interview provides a +38.9% benefit to allowance rate for applications examined by WARDEN, JILL ALICE. This interview benefit is in the 85% percentile among all examiners. Recommendation: Interviews are highly effective with this examiner and should be strongly considered as a prosecution strategy. Per MPEP § 713.10, interviews are available at any time before the Notice of Allowance is mailed or jurisdiction transfers to the PTAB.
When applicants file an RCE with this examiner, 9.8% of applications are subsequently allowed. This success rate is in the 6% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Insight: RCEs show lower effectiveness with this examiner compared to others. Consider whether a continuation application might be more strategic, especially if you need to add new matter or significantly broaden claims.
This examiner enters after-final amendments leading to allowance in 33.9% of cases where such amendments are filed. This entry rate is in the 52% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: This examiner shows above-average receptiveness to after-final amendments. If your amendments clearly overcome the rejections and do not raise new issues, consider filing after-final amendments before resorting to an RCE.
When applicants request a pre-appeal conference (PAC) with this examiner, 72.7% result in withdrawal of the rejection or reopening of prosecution. This success rate is in the 60% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Recommendation: Pre-appeal conferences show above-average effectiveness with this examiner. If you have strong arguments, a PAC request may result in favorable reconsideration.
This examiner withdraws rejections or reopens prosecution in 40.7% of appeals filed. This is in the 9% percentile among all examiners. Of these withdrawals, 36.4% occur early in the appeal process (after Notice of Appeal but before Appeal Brief). Strategic Insight: This examiner rarely withdraws rejections during the appeal process compared to other examiners. If you file an appeal, be prepared to fully prosecute it to a PTAB decision. Per MPEP § 1207, the examiner will prepare an Examiner's Answer maintaining the rejections.
When applicants file petitions regarding this examiner's actions, 90.9% are granted (fully or in part). This grant rate is in the 89% percentile among all examiners. Strategic Note: Petitions are frequently granted regarding this examiner's actions compared to other examiners. Per MPEP § 1002.02(c), various examiner actions are petitionable to the Technology Center Director, including prematureness of final rejection, refusal to enter amendments, and requirement for information. If you believe an examiner action is improper, consider filing a petition.
Examiner's Amendments: This examiner makes examiner's amendments in 0.8% of allowed cases (in the 65% percentile). This examiner makes examiner's amendments more often than average to place applications in condition for allowance (MPEP § 1302.04).
Quayle Actions: This examiner issues Ex Parte Quayle actions in 0.0% of allowed cases (in the 9% percentile). This examiner rarely issues Quayle actions compared to other examiners. Allowances typically come directly without a separate action for formal matters.
Based on the statistical analysis of this examiner's prosecution patterns, here are tailored strategic recommendations:
Not Legal Advice: The information provided in this report is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. You should consult with a qualified patent attorney or agent for advice specific to your situation.
No Guarantees: We do not provide any guarantees as to the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the statistics presented above. Patent prosecution statistics are derived from publicly available USPTO data and are subject to data quality limitations, processing errors, and changes in USPTO practices over time.
Limitation of Liability: Under no circumstances will IronCrow AI be liable for any outcome, decision, or action resulting from your reliance on the statistics, analysis, or recommendations presented in this report. Past prosecution patterns do not guarantee future results.
Use at Your Own Risk: While we strive to provide accurate and useful prosecution statistics, you should independently verify any information that is material to your prosecution strategy and use your professional judgment in all patent prosecution matters.